Phoenix in 2030

[odinloki1]

Originally Posted by pstratt

Farming wastes more water than all of us combined. As more and more farmland is developed we will actually be using LESS water...much less.

Yes and we won't grow any food during the winter months.

Woohoo more disease filled food from China.

Farming doesn't waste water. Swimming pools in the desert, thats a waste of water. Last I checked Arizona is a major food supplier during the winter months. I don't see that as being wasteful!

I also think we need to restrict population growth for that reason, because our food production needs to be maintained, and if that means not every retiree in the country can move here to live an extra year, then so be it.

[Magnum Mike]

Originally Posted by Valley Native

You and me both, Mike! Unfortunately, with all of the development planned for suburban areas like Buckeye, and many sections of the SE Valley (beyond Gilbert and Queen Creek), I doubt if the horrendous sprawl will subside in the near future.

The first thing that the general public needs to do is ignore the NIMBY type of attitudes that have prevailed here for too long. The NIMBYs are the ones who always protest the vertical development that we're in favor of, as well as any kind of theme park ideas which will benefit the economy as a whole. Funny how they oppose those amenities, but don't seem to oppose all the seemingly endless cookie cutter sprawl and the monotonous strip mall chain of look alike big box outlets in the outer fringes.

If city leaders and the public would turn their backs & simply ignore the pesky NIMBYs, maybe they'll finally shut up and move to a smaller place where they don't have to worry about highrises, stadiums, theme parks, etc.

With the rising price of gasoline, I believe there will be a curtailment of outward urban sprawl and more people will be looking at being closer to downtown. But.. the problem is we already have built the foundation for the urban sprawl, with major industries scattered throughout the metro area over a 60-mile radius, from Apache Junction to Buckeye. Obviously we're not going to be able to fix what everybody broke over the last 20 years, but we can put a stop to it, or at least slow it down and concentrate on creating a very livable central district.

I am very thankful the neighborhood I live in was built only 10 years ago, but close to downtown, and I don't have to waste 45 minutes everyday driving in rush hour traffic.

The one thing we all know, and that applies to other large cities as well, everybody scrambles to find solutions for problems, after the problem has persisted for years, rather than see the problem before it becomes unmanagable.

[Greatday]

In 1950, a group was formed called MAG - the Maricopa Association of Government. One of their first "challenges" was to develop a long range plan for Maricopa county. When completed, the plan was known as "Concept 2000" - a look 50 years forward.

A major piece of this plan was the "Urban Village Concept" - originally 10 urban villiages - later expanded to 15, this plan was to create areas with "cores" - that ended up being the regional shopping centers you see today. Around those cores, were to be employment centers, housing, education, etc. Each Urban Village was expected to house, recreate, employ, educate etc some 200,000 when built out.

The plan also called for a "central corridor" for the County - that area was from 7th Street to 7th Ave, Buckeye Road to Camelback. In this central corridor, there were to be 3 other corridors - a "Hi-rise", "Mid-rise", and "Lo-rise" corridor (lo-rise being nothing over 4 stories)

When the plan was created, it was based on demographic information that was available at the time including migration patterns to the southwest.

In 1950, Phoenix was sort of a sleepy town. We rode our horses down Central Ave. There were no "freeways" - most roads were two lanes - the northern city limits was essentially Osborn road.

NO ONE EVER expected the city limits to be north of the Carefree Highway -

NO ONE EVER expected the city limits to go to 200 AVE -

There was no refrigeration in homes (heck, many of us did not even have Evap cooling). There were few (if any) private swimming pools (we used the canals and horse troughs). There were no homes with grass - this is the desert. It was a "Dry Heat"

Those with TB came here (there was a TB sanatorium (sp?) in Sunnyslope). If you had respirtory problems - you came to the valley.

Will the City of Phoenix hit 5 million? IMO, yes - and, in the next 1- to 15 years.

Will Maricopa County hit 8 million? IMO, yes - and in the same time frame

Will a new airport be built between Phoenix and Tucson? Yes - the land is already there

Will Phoenix and Tucson come together? IMO, yes. And, probably by 2030

Will the "Hi-Rise" corridor expand east and west? Yes. And, it already has started to do so.

Just some of my feelings as to where "Phoenix" - the Valley of the Sun, will be in 2030

[Greatday]

Ancillary to this discussion. From todays paper:

The state's population of 6.4 million is expected to hit 11.3 million in 20 years, according to the state Department of Economic Security. The Valley is the 15th-most-congested metro area in the country. Even smaller cities like Prescott and Maricopa are looking for ways to cut traffic.

State works on a transit master plan (broken link)

[artyst]

i agree with mike, i think upward growth will continue (has started in downtown scottsdale and phoenix) and is the best solution to future housing. more lightrail would be good too. but i won't be here to see it, yeeha!!

[wit-nit]

Originally Posted by _Charles_

Yes commerical deveopment and freeways on the rez - no residential development. Mortgage companies will not finance it. The Indian Communities cannot legally grant Deeds of Trust for mortgages to anyone that isn't a tribe member. And only someone foolish would pay cash money to build a home they cannot legally own.

The residential developments that I mentioned are specifically for the Indian communities to house their own, not the off reservation public. The indians have been using their gambling receipts to build and upgrade living conditions for their own people.
Yes, Fwy's and commercial development will be negotiated for anyone with the $$$.

[Greatday]

Originally Posted by odinloki1

I also think we need to restrict population growth for that reason, because our food production needs to be maintained, and if that means not every retiree in the country can move here to live an extra year, then so be it.

And, how would you suggest / propose to "restrict population growth" ...???

[londonbarcelona]

Originally Posted by _Charles_

For those of you that can - compare the Valley now to the way it was 1984. No take that comparison and extrapolate that forward to 2030 and you have pretty good idea of what the Valley will be like then.

And that's SCARY! Gosh, in 1984 Phoenix and Scottsdale were heaven!

Scottsdale with all it's open spaces, and horse ranches. Now THAT was pure heaven, pure peaceful heaven.

[_Charles_]

I agree - I feel sorry for those that never got to experience any of the old Arizona. Phoenix and Scottsdale both had a really freindly small town vibe. It was actually fun to live in the Valley. As much as I like AZ, I cannot in all honesty say that is still true.

What I just described - the old Arizona milieu, abruptly ended in the early 90s.

[sierraAZ]

Originally Posted by _Charles_

I agree - I feel sorry for those that never got to experience any of the old Arizona. Phoenix and Scottsdale both had a really freindly small town vibe. It was actually fun to live in the Valley. As much as I like AZ, I cannot in all honesty say that is still true.

What I just described - the old Arizona milieu, abruptly ended in the early 90s.

Eeehh, what can you do... I wish I were born early enough to join this country 5 or 6 decades earlier, too, but somebody up there figured I should taste the "interesting times" all over the world...